


Far Too Different

by Jennsepticeye



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-19
Updated: 2019-02-19
Packaged: 2019-10-31 18:14:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,576
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17854658
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jennsepticeye/pseuds/Jennsepticeye
Summary: Lance is Altean royalty and Keith is his new half galra bodyguard





	Far Too Different

**Author's Note:**

> I'm reposting all my fics from Tumblr here, and then orphaning them and deleting my blog. I don't want them to be forgotten for those who enjoyed them, so I'm posting them here.
> 
> If you want to track my down on tumblr now, my user name is @jennsepticeye

Many people seemed to believe that the life of royalty was nothing short of perfect. In many ways they were right, but at the same time, very wrong. Princess Allura’s and Prince Lance’s lives were easy, but far from perfect. If anything, it was too easy. So easy it was boring and so sheltered it was suffocating. Lance hated it.

For as long as the Galra and Alteans had been allies the Alteans had sought after Galra guards and military personnel. As such, Prince Lance was always accompanied by at least one tall purple Galra. Even when he slept there was a pair of glowing yellow eyes in the corner. It was supposed to make him feel safer but in reality he just felt smothered. Lance suspected that his sister Allura held the same view but she was much more tolerant. Over the years the raging bisexual Prince had learned the tricks and turns of phrase he needed. Ways to ditch his guards to run off to Festivals, to get them to guard outside his door at night so he could sneak off to the roof tops. A large portion of these methods involved flirting so combined with his royal status the system was nearly flawless. Until the new guy came along.

He was short, longish black hair that had ears poking out of it. Clearly not a full-blooded Galra. He was beautiful. Lavender skin making his dark lashes and yellow eyes stand out. Essentially, he had to go.

“What’s your name hot stuff?” Lance asked, leaning close to the new guard

“Keith.” He replied curtly and Lance mentally sighed. This boy had too much respect.

“You’re kinda short for a Galra, aren’t you Keith?” the question was innocent enough on its own but Lance’s teasing tone betrayed his intentions

Keith looked away, ears twitching irritably “I assure you I am more than capable of protecting you, your Majesty.”

“No need to be so formal Mullet-head.” Lance chuckled “Lance will do just fine. After all, we’ll probably be spending a lot of time together.”

Keith might have flushed at that, especially since Lance was leaning so close, but it was hard to tell.

“Holy crow Keith, you are really activating my particle barrier right now.”

The guard sputtered, clearly flushed now. Lance took advantage of his near frozen state and scampered down the hallway. His wind-chime laughter bounced off the walls.

Their game of cat and mouse, as Shiro called it, continued for weeks. Lance attempting to fluster and ditch Keith, and Keith chasing after him. Sometimes it worked but Keith wasn’t one to back down. He walked exactly as close as he was supposed to and remained in the room when Lance tried to flirt him out during the night shift. Lance would be lying if he said he didn’t enjoy Keith’s presence. He was softer than the other guards, though not by much, kinder without being suffocatingly so. He was friendly in a way that toed the line between kind employee and friends. Shifts were filled with challenging words and careless taunts and most importantly, Keith treated him like a person.

“Are you from outer space? ‘Cause your body is out of this world.” Lance crooned, leaning so close it was probably illegal.

“I wish I had pupils just to roll my eyes at you.” Keith deadpanned.

“Fine, fine. Sweetheart, do you have a map? ‘Cause I’m getting lost in your eyes.” That seemed to do the trick. Keith flushed dark purple, going stiff as Lance bolted down the hallway.

Keith caught up with the prince in the gardens. They really were beautiful, brightly coloured flowers covering nearly every inch of ground. The gardens were bordered by tall shrubs and massive trees that provided cool shade in the hot season. Lance looked gorgeous, white hair reflecting the sunlight and the pale orange flowers made his tan skin stand out even more against his cobalt blue robes. Keith stopped so quickly he almost tipped forward.

“Like what you see, hotshot?”

Keith realized he was staring and quickly looked away. The Prince shrugged and sat down in the flowers, and Keith put the mask of a guard back on. King Alfor expected a lot of poise and decorum from his royal guards, feet together, back straight, shoulders squared and hands behind the back. A constant mantra branded into his mind during his guardsman training. After a minute of silence Lance turned around, frowning.

“Oh sit down, would you? You’re making me nervous.”

Keith did as he was told, sitting directly where he had stood. His legs crossed and shoulders still stiff, five feet from the prince. Lance rolled his eyes, throwing up his hands for good measure before moving to sit next to Keith. He sat so close that their knees brushed but Keith tried not to think about it. Lance felt him stiffen impossibly more before relaxing. It was nice, seeing him like this. Relaxed so much that he could almost pretend Keith wasn’t paid to be here.

“Hey Keith?” Lance asked, breaking the silence and leaning back on his hands.

“Yeah?”

“What do you think of me? In all honesty. No flattery ‘cause you think I’ll fire you or something.”

“I think you’re a bit self-centered, over-confident and borderline annoying.” He said, no sugar-coating with a side of cruel bluntness.

That hurt Lance more than he’d like to admit. He had hoped he was coming off nicer than the snobby prince persona the media liked so much.

“Quiznack man, do you spend all your free time thinking about how much you hate me or-“

“You didn’t let me finish.” Keith cut in. “You’re obnoxious, yes, but you’re also funny, kind, and you’ve got a big heart.”

“Awww! You’re so nice Keithy-Wiethy.” Lance cooed.

“Shut up. Okay? I’m bad with words.” He folded his arms across his chest.

When Lance didn’t say anything Keith looked over at him and quiznack was he something to behold. There was a small smile on his face, more genuine than his cocky smirks and softer than the sunshine grins that accompanied his mischievous laughter.

“Thanks, man.” Lance shifted so he was leaning against his shoulder. Keith knew this was crossing a line, he could be fired for this, at least. He should have pushed the Prince away, performed his duties the way a guard was meant to, hut he couldn’t find the will to do so. Lance was intoxicating, short white hair tickling his jaw, and besides, no one was around to reprimand him. No one had to know that Keith had fallen for the Prince of Altea.

Keith pulled the midnight shift a few days later, slumped in a chair in the corner over some obscure Sci-Fi novel. After a while he looked up at Lance. He was still awake, starlight from the window illuminating his navy eyes.

“Can’t sleep?” Keith asked softly.

“You can say that again.” Lance chuckled bitterly, eyes fixed on the ceiling.

“You wanna talk about it?” He asked cautiously, wanting to know out of both curiosity and concern.

“Yes and no. Like that makes any sense.” He sat up against his ridiculous amount of pillows, running a hand anxiously through his white hair. Keith could hear him take a deep breath before he said “My father says I’m to be married to Princess Nyma of Erde.”

“Oh…” The sound escaped before he could clamp down on it. Emotions were seizing up his throat and making his voice shake.

“Yeah, Nyma is great and all, and anyone would be lucky to have her, but… we won’t make each other happy.” Lance’s voice pitched up at the end, distressed. “It’s a disaster waiting to happen.”

Keith stayed silent, face impassive as he could make it.

“There’s someone else anyway. I certainly can’t be a good husband if I’m in love with someone else.”

Keith’s heart did a strange twist in his ribcage, simultaneously hopeful that he was the someone else and crushed because there was no way.

“What are you going to do?” His voice was shaking, wobbling with mixed emotions. Keith hid his face in his bangs.

“Quiznack if I know!” Lance probably threw his hands up dramatically. Thankfully he seemed to ignore the way Keith’s voice shook. “Run away, ditch the wedding, fist fight my father?”

Lance was almost shouting but the walls were thick stone so no one would hear him anyway.

“Just….” Lance sighed in frustration, “Can you come over here?”

Keith eyed him apprehensively “Why?”

“Because I’m freaking out about ad I kinda really need a hug.” His voice was an octave higher than usual.

Keith chuckled, crossing the room in a few sure paces but faltered at the edge of the bed. Thankfully Lance seemed to sense his hesitation and took action for him, grabbing his gloved hand and pulling Keith into the bed. He landed awkwardly with and oof, sprawled out across the bed. With some shifting he managed to wrap Lance up in his arms. He knew it wouldn’t last long, he was simply the nearest source of comfort, but that didn’t stop him from enjoying it. The feeling of Lance’s warm skin after he had removed his gloves was electrifying and calming at the same time. Soon the Prince fell asleep and Keith was trapped. Lance was effectively lying on top of him, soft even breaths fanning across his neck. Keith sighed and pressed his lips to the crown of white hair.

“It’s going to be alright.” He whispered, continuing when Lance didn’t stir. “Whatever happens, I’ll be there for you, knight in shining armor or whatever. I care about you Lance. I hope you know that.” The sleeping prince didn’t budge and Keith smiled softly.

Keith woke up before he realized he had fallen asleep. There was a warm weight wrapped around his chest and his shoulders and neck ached from the cramped sleeping position. The realization of his situation hit him like a gut punch and his eyes snapped open in realization. A panicked glance at the time piece calmed his nerves, there was still a few vargas until shift change.

“Good morning.” Lance murmured, voice low and groggy. “My knight in shining armor…” he looked up at Keith with a smug smirk.

He stiffened, ears lying flat on his head. “You heard that?!” He hissed, face hot and heart thudding in his chest.

“You really know nothing about Altean sleep cycles do you?” He took Keith’s silence as a negative. “Alteans’ bodies fall asleep before the mind. So yeah, I heard everything.” He was smiling softly, hair mused in a white halo around his head. He was beautiful.

“I’m so sorry.” Keith choked, scrambling out of Lances arms and out of the bed. “That was out of line and inappropriate.”

Lance’s face was impossible to read, a strange look for someone as theatrical and expressive as he was. Lance slowly untangled himself from the bedding and stood up on the side opposite of Keith. The guard’s skin bristled with anticipation; Lance grinned like he was enjoying watching Keith squirm. Prince Lance always walked elegantly, but also in a way that put everyone at ease. Long limbs seizing everyone’s attention with water-like movements. Now was an exception. The purpose in his gait only made Keith more nervous. He took slow deliberate steps around the foot of the bed, avoiding eye contact until he was standing right in front of Keith. Lance’s face never ceased to captivate him, the way it could shift from one extreme to another. The empty smirk melted off his face into a genuine smile that was surprisingly rare. Creases appeared on the bridge of his nose and in the corners of his eyes.

“You’re an oblivious fool, Keith Kogane.” Lance grabbed Keith’s hands in his own. Keith resisted the urge to yank his hands away, hoping they at least weren’t sweaty.

“I-I…wh-…what?” Very eloquent Kogane.

“You’re the one I was talking about Mullet. The one I’ve fallen for. You’re the reason I can’t marry Princess Nyma.”

Keith was a mess, heart drumming in his chest out of either fear or love, maybe both. He was both relaxed with relief and tensed with surprise. “What are we going to do now?” his voice was barely a whisper.

“Well, I mean, I was kinda hoping I would get to kiss you.” Lance was impossibly close now, less than an Earth centimeter away. Keith let his impulses take control and tilted his head up and pressed his lips to Lance’s. The kiss grew heated at an almost alarming rate, sloppy and hot. Lance’s hands tangled in Keith’s black hair and Keith’s hands had drifted precariously low on Lance’s waist. The prince tugged harshly on the hair in his grasp and Keith moaned broken and embarrassingly loud. Lance took the opportunity to lick into his mouth, tongue running over dangerously sharp teeth and across the sensitive roof of his mouth. Keith gasped and he could feel Lance smirking. They broke apart but not away, Lance kissing down Keith’s jaw and the column of his neck. Somewhere along the line Keith had lost his breastplate and Lance took advantage of the newly exposed lavender flesh, kissing and sucking until Keith’s breath hitched, and he tightened his hold on Lance’s ass. He smirked, nipping and licking the spot until there was a dark bruise had formed. Lance kissed the mark once more before moving back to Keith’s mouth. The guard cleared just a bit and he pulled away, pressing his hands against Lance’s chest.

“L-Lance wait.” He said, panting. “We can’t. You’re getting married. This is worse than treason.”

“We’ll figure it out,” Lance flashed him a million Watt smile “but I’m not gonna marry Princess Nyma. Not gonna happen, pretty boy.”

The Princess of Erde arrived two quintants later. She was gorgeous, swathed in dark robes that made her sunshine colored skin stand out. She was pretty, but she deserved better. As per tradition, the to-be-weds had ten planet rotations to get to know each other, on the sixth rotation, the actual wedding plans were made.

Two quintants into the Princess’s visit Lance slipped a note into Keith’s palm as they passed in the hallway. Eight vargas later Keith was standing on the palace roof, as the note had directed. Lance was already there, lying on his back and gazing up at the stars.

“Shouldn’t you have a guard with you?” Keith asked, breaking the silence and laying down next to him.

“You’re here aren’t you?” Lance rolled over and tucked himself into Keith’s side.

“I’m technically off duty. I could technically let you get assassinated right now and face no repercussions.”

Lance gasped dramatically “Did the Keith Kogane just make a joke?”

“It’s been known to happen.” Keith defended.

“Whatever you say Mullet.” Lance’s voice got soft “I know I’m safe with you.”

Lance’s eyes were breathtaking in this light. Navy blue accented with shots of electric cerulean in the starlight.

“Gods above, you’re beautiful.” Keith breathed before he could stop himself, then Lance was kissing him again. This kiss was vastly different from their first, soft and slow, warm and emotional.

Rotations came and went, nights were spent either wrapped in blankets or lounging beneath the stars. Then the sixth quintant of Princess Nyma’s visit rolled around. The day of wedding plans.

“You’ll be fine Lance” Keith assured “Whatever happens we’ll figure it out.” They were tucked in the corner of an empty hallway, pressed close together in an attempt at assurance. In a few moments they would pretend to be nothing more than a guard and his charge but for now this was enough.

Lance nodded. “I love you, you know?” when Keith’s eyes widened the prince backtracked “I mean I realize it’s only been like two weeks and that makes it weird but I wanted you to know before I confronted the possibility of marrying Nyma-“

Keith cut him off with a quick kiss “I love you too.” He pressed another kiss to one of Lance’s Altean marks before stepping away. “Let’s go.”

The room was small when they walked in, Lance sitting next to King Alfor and Keith standing against the wall behind him. The table was large and even though Nyma was sitting across from Lance, she was nearly six feet away.

“Now that we’re all here we may proceed.” Alfor stated, standing from his chair. Lance turned as subtly as he could to look back at Keith who gave him a reassuring nod. He took a deep breath in a futile attempt to calm his racing heart. He let out a breath, planted his well-manicured hands on the table and stood, the screeching of his chair forced the room to silence.

“I cannot marry Princess Nyma.” He said at the same time the princess herself said

“I cannot marry him.”

Lance blinked dumbly, sitting down. “Please, ladies first.”

“Thank you. As I stated, I cannot marry the Prince. Simply put, I would be unable to make him happy. I assure you it is through no fault of his own that he has fallen in love with another. It is not within my purview to tell you how I know or who this individual is but Prince Lance deserves someone who loves him. He deserves better than I could give him.” The princess finished her though and sat down heavily in her chair, no sense of grace.

“Lance, have you anything to say to this?” Alfor looked thoroughly pissed, eyebrows furrowed.

“Yes father, I do.” Lance said, standing slowly. His face was blank but his eyes were filled to the brim with emotions. “I cannot wed Princess Nyma because she deserves a better than a partner who is love with another. That does not mean that Altea and Erde cannot still be allies, but we don’t need to marry to accomplish that. And while I’m standing,” he looked the King, his father straight in the eyes “the one I fell in love with is Keith. Sir Keith Kogane.”

The King’s face was so scandalized it was almost comical. “Boy, you cannot be serious.”

Lance stepped around his chair and walked towards Keith who watched the scene play out with a blank expression. Lance knew him better than that, he was freaking out on the inside. “How’s this for serious?” Lance asked, Lacing his fingers with Keith’s “I cold much rather marry this man. No offense, Princess.”

“None taken.”

The Altean King was furious, that much was plain to see. However, the Erdian King was rather indifferent.

“Our children are right Alfor.” The foreign King sat slumped in his chair, the air of poise and grace gone in favor of boredom. “There’s no need to force them to marry. Erde has been interested in allying with Altea for decafebes. As long as it’s done, Erde will be pleased.”

“Thank you King.” Lance said. “Father?” It was clearly a challenge, eyes locked onto Alfor’s.

“My problem lies not with your choice in hand, but in your insubordinate behavior.”

“I apologize for that. I had little time to discuss this with you outside of this meeting and even if I did I knew what you would have said.” Lance turned back to the foreigners “King, Princess, I am sorry for wasting your time.”

“Worry not my boy, a change of scenery is always welcome.”

Alfor sighed. “Well, with such news I believe this meeting is adjourned.” Lance nodded, starting towards the door, pulling Keith. “Lance, Kogane. Please stay.” Something about his town let them know that it wasn’t meant as a suggestion.

“So close.” Lance grumbled. The Erdians awkwardly shuffled out and the door shut with startling finality. Keith squeezed Lance’s hand comfortingly.

“I am by no means happy about this turn of events. Sir Kogane, you are not of royal blood, you are not of Altean blood and you are not even of full Galra heritage. Quite simply I am not sure how to handle such circumstance. Until an answer is found and a decision is made you will continue to guard my son and ensure his safety.”

“Yes sir.” Keith’s voice was sharp with practiced dignity.

“As for you, Lance.” The King paused, most likely for dramatic effect. “You’re grounded.”

Lance made an indignant squawking sound, dumbfounded as if he had never been grounded before. “Yes father.” He sighed.

“Dismissed.”

Lance smiled, bright and warm like the sun, and tugged Keith out of the room with him. As soon as the bedroom door slammed shut behind them Lance had pressed their lips together. It was awful, both of them smiling too much making their teeth clack together painfully.

“Told you we’d figure it figure it out.” Lance said when they broke apart.

“I really don’t need your sass right now.” Keith sighed, kissing him again before pushing him backwards onto the bed. Lance let out a short giggle, breathless and sweet and it made Keith blush.

“Fair enough, fiancé.”

Many people seemed to believe that the life of royalty was nothing short of perfect. Everything handed to them on a silver platter. In many ways they were right, but at the same time, very wrong. Prince Lance did not have Keith handed to him, far from it. Life as Altean royalty was suffocating at best but as long as the Prince had his fiancé it would be bearable.


End file.
